Amid the dominance of Netflix, the convenience of on demand, and the dreariness of this economy, a local independent shop hangs tough. Why does it matter? A Globe film critic -- himself a former video-store clerk -- explains.

Trapped under the sea, near the end of a dank, dark 9.5-mile-long sewer tunnel, three men were horrified to discover two of their fellow divers dead. They weren’t sure what had happened. But they knew this much: If they didn’t make a quick escape, they would be next.